Rapper BG, who is living under federal supervision after being released from prison, also has his lyrics monitored.
The “Bling Bling” artist must provide the federal government with copies of his upcoming songs before they are produced or promoted, and if the lyrics are deemed inconsistent with his rehabilitation, prosecutors can move to modify the terms of his supervised release, the Guardian reported Tuesday.
BG — aka Baby Gangsta, whose real name is Christopher Dorsey — narrowly avoided even stricter scrutiny. U.S. District Court Judge Susie Morgan, who oversees the Eastern District of Louisiana, rejected the prosecution’s request to bar BG from “promoting and glorifying gun violence/murder in the future” in any song performed during her supervision, citing free speech concerns, the outlet said.
The New Orleans rapper, who was a member of the Hot Boys alongside Lil Wayne, Juvenile and Turk, was arrested during a traffic stop in 2009 after an officer found three guns in his car, two of which were stolen. BG pressured the others in the car to take responsibility for the guns, but the truth was eventually revealed and he later pleaded guilty.
Baby Gangsta was sentenced in 2012 to 14 years in prison on two counts of firearms possession and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He was released last September after serving 11 years in prison and is now spending three years under federal supervision.
That oversight became an issue when he began rapping again, particularly after he performed a Las Vegas gig in February with rapper Boosie Badazz, who has multiple felony convictions. Those on probation are generally required to refrain from associating with convicted felons, and BG was arrested for allegedly failing to obtain permission to work with Boosie.
Prosecutors also said the lyrics the two rapped, in addition to lyrics from BG’s 2020 album with Gucci Mane (who is also a felon), caused them to seriously question BG’s commitment to rehabilitation. While it turned out BG did get permission to work with Boosie, the lyrical issue was deemed significant enough to lead to Friday’s sentencing.
The mixed decision adds to a controversial history of using lyrics to prosecute musical artists, most of whom are black, for a variety of crimes.
Song lyrics have been presented in court as evidence of misconduct or gang affiliation or simply as a demonstration of a violent character in more than 700 cases, notably against Snoop Dogg in the 1990s, Takashi 6ix9ine in 2019, and Yung Thug in his current high-profile RICO trial.
